Archive for December, 2011

Never underestimate Martin Scorsese. Just because “Hugo” lacks in F-words doesn’t mean the master filmmaker is so out of his element that he couldn’t possibly put his stamp on this family-friendly film. In fact, “Hugo” might be the most personal of the director’s catalog.

Be prepared to have your annual “movies are never as good as the books” conversation with family and friends, because Stieg Larsson’s worldwide best-seller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has come to theaters (this time without subtitles). Wanting to honor the beloved source material, Sony placed this American version in the hands of serial […]

Actor-turned-director Thomas McCarthy came off as a natural in his first two features as a director: 2003’s “The Station Agent” and 2007’s “The Visitor.” That put a fat old earmark on latest effort “Win Win.” All three films demonstrate an understanding of human motivation and how more often than not, things do not turn out […]

Let it be known that 2011 was a record-setting year at the movies. No previous year in all of film history has had as many … sequels. Yes, a whopping 27 films either directly following or based on previous movies came to theaters this year. “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is the 27th sequel to […]

To put it politely, the box office still needs a kick in the pants. The Holiday Season has yet to fully take off, and this weekend is its last shot. Plenty of new movies for all ages and tastes hit theaters between Wednesday and Sunday, from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to two Steven […]

After the succes of the “Lord of the Rings,” we knew we’d get J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” eventually. What was truly unexpected was that Peter Jackson would in fact return for this prequel, though it did take the departure of Guillermo del Toro and MGM’s financial woes to get him back in the big chair.

Paul Rudd gets a lot of love from moviegoers, just not enough love. It’s not a wayward assessment to say that other than (arguably) Steve Carell, Rudd is the best actor doing comedy right now, in the sense that he could do so much, but he sticks to the joyful life of comedy. Thankfully he’s […]

When Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody struck gold with “Juno” in 2007, they did so with a rare combination of contemporary wit, quirkiness and heart. Their four-year reunion in “Young Adult” won’t be nearly as heralded, but it might arguably be a better film.

After last weekend disappointed, expect all hell to break loose at the box office this weekend — and I mean that in a good way. Winter Break is nearly is about to shoot into high gear with the first action offering since “Immortals” in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and a family film […]

After the all the critics awards are doled out, we Oscar watchers look in great part to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for clarity, and while much is delivered, all the more is always blurred. Here are the film nominees for the 2012 Golden Globes and my thoughts on them. Silent film “The Artist” tops […]

Ah, it’s that time of year again. We’re just days away from some of the big pre-Oscar award nominations (the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes), but some of the smaller awards bodies, including the press awards from film criticism bodies across the country. So the 2012 Academy Awards picture should be shaping up […]

Directing can be assessed in countless ways, from the how someone frames a shot to how they interpret the script to simply an ability to get the best out of the talent on screen. Sometimes, they might just be damn good at picking the right projects. The very best directors seem to possess one or […]

Our ultimate expectations of a romance film are hypocritical. On one hand, we expect a grounded film: real people in real relationships with real feelings doing not necessarily sane but at least rational things in the name of love. On the other hand, we relish in fairytale depictions of love and the idea that true […]

Now that Christmas is coming, it’s time to celebrate … New Year’s Eve? Well, you’re probably not interested in going to see the movie on Dec. 30, so you get Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” follow-up this weekend instead. Also available is the season’s only hard-R comedy, “The Sitter,” which tests Jonah Hill’s box-office power.

Here’s where the Holidays get interesting. Although in my Comedy Preview I mentioned some of the comedy/drama films that will vie for awards, at no other time of year do audiences get all amped up about dramas. The trouble comes with which films will be the Oscar must-sees and which will sound like Oscar must-sees […]